Bedford Soda & Liquor

Busy bar looks good but the cocktails need a lot of work. Don’t need the whole herb garden in a cocktail to make it nice. Some research needed to have the cocktails match the surroundings. Disappointing

We received really disappointing service here on a recent Monday night. Between a large group of us we filled out several menu cards — and almost all the orders came out incorrectly. To make matters worse, the staff refused to believe they had messed up our orders & repeatedly tried to tell us that what they’d brought to the table was what we’d asked for. Simply not true! It took more than half an hour to get it sorted. We eventually received some complimentary drinks & snacks for the table, but no actual verbal apology.
As for the food, it’s fine. The flavours are fairly plain but the proportions are generous. I was disappointed that my order of fries appeared to be cooked from the bottom of the bag so was just a whole bowl of tiny broken pieces.

Impressed by the lack of beer on the menu with alternatives far more interesting. Good service, and trendy character if a bit ‘hip’. Meat balls… my beef balls on risotto with a cauliflower yoghurt dressing was yummy but overpowering with too much salt. This place is worth a visit.

Super impressed with the cocktails here, especially the art of placing edible flowers, ice and alcohol in an upside down glass ball. Menu food is American inspired, we tried the Mac ‘n cheese with bacon and fried chicken with smokey bbq sauce. The serving sizes are great for sharing, nice spot to catch up with friends on a Sunday afternoon.

We dined at Bedford this evening with guests who were on their way to New York — we thought it would be cool to give them an authentic NY experience in Auckland before they left. We were all disappointed. The service was indifferent and slow, the food very average, cocktails expensive for what was delivered (when they were finally delivered), the music was blaring. Several times we asked if the music could be turned down, but were ignored. Finally, one of the waiters told us it couldn’t be turned down «because it has to be kept at a certain level». There are so many choices in Ponsonby, don’t waste your money or time on this one.

5 After having seen countless posts of the excitingly exotic cocktails Bedford Soda and Liquor in Ponsonby provide, I couldn’t resist a chance to go check these guys out on Saturday night. It might’ve been rainy and cold, but the atmosphere inside the always buzzing Ponsonby central location was warm and inviting to say the least. The interior is decidedly New York chic, with drop down industrial mood lighting, exposed brick walls and dope wall displays. The drinks menu, designed by award winning mixologist Jason Clark, is diverse, offering modern twists on old cocktails faves, and completely new inventive ones too. Featured below is one of Bedford’s Liquor Laden shakes — the Salted Caramel Malteser Milkshake with Whiskey. In an emoji, it was. Honestly, I’m not a huge drinker, but I can say this shake went down an absolute treat for me. Don’t be fooled by its milkshake exterior, the whiskey content is pretty decent! Aside from drinks, Bedford offers an excellent bar snack menu. We had some of their signature Bedford Balls — Chicken and Vegetarian, as well as, in my view, the best fried chicken strips I’ve had in a long long time. All in all, I gotta say, definitely th@e best bar in Auckland. Highly recommend. Thanks for a great night ballers!

Drinks are expensive & don’t always taste good. On top of this, the service is always so very slow. I’ve been a few times and I just can’t be bothered anymore. I wouldn’t recommend going here at all.

Bedford’s is the best place in Auckland for cocktails in my opinion. They can make virtually any drink imaginable and their menu has some pretty cool drinks with fire and smoke.
The service is absolute rubbish though. You could stand in the middle of the bar looking lost for 5 minutes and no one would greet you or offer to help.
Also, don’t bother with the food, pretty lackluster meatballs. You’re better off requesting a table at BurgerBurger down the lane and having drinks at Bedford’s while you wait for that.

The best meatballs in town! The staff have swag and place is humming with all sorts, surprisingly family friendly…

yet another Ponsonby Central find– Bedfords speciality is meatballs. They have an interactive menu where you «tick» your custom meal selections and then hand in your menu to order with your waiter/​waitress. First you select the meat/​protein for your meatballs (beef, chicken, pork, vege or the changing special of the week) — $ 12, then your sauce (tomato, spicy tomato, cheese, gravy, special of the week) — $ 2 and then your base (spaghetti, mash, polenta) — $ 4. $ 12 will get you 3 meatballs (a bit pricey — they are no bigger than a golf ball). We also tried a variety of mixers off their drinks menu — all delicious and sweet ! Overall — a little overpriced (expected for Ponsonby) but still a good, allbeit small feed in P.C.

Saturday was our second visit to Bedford Soda & Liquor and I think it’s safe to say there will definitely be a third.
Our previous visit was a bustling Friday evening when tables were hard to come by, but even if standing-​room only, this place would be worth a stop. This time around we were in for lunch and managed to grab a table inside out of the sun which was nice and cool.
Ravenously hungry we started with dessert — a salted caramel malteser milkshake that was just divine! It was so rich and decadent, it could only have been more so with the addition of booze — we’ll try that next time when it’s closer to dinner than breakfast!
We were a little hungover, so the carby, cheesy goodness of the sub with special meatballs of the day (water buffalo and parmesan) with a spicy tomato sauce was just what was needed. Add to that a side of crispy onion rings in some deliciously creamy jalapeño cheese sauce, and the seasonal veg which was a corn cob in chipotle butter and we were some very happy diners!
The Mr. chose the side of spaghetti with the simple tomato sauce and has been asking me to recreate it ever since. Our only regret was not having enough stomach space to try the pie of the day for dessert, or the constitution to handle one of their fantastic sounding handmade cocktails.
BS&L is in a great spot on the corner of Ponsonby Central and is a perfect spot for a quick bite or a serious cocktail session!

When I read the review in the Viva I thought this is a cool old school hip place I have to get to. The menu’s remind me of school crossed with a Hotel room service menu. This place is not for you if you don’t like meatballs, because that’s what they do — meatballs! There does seem to be a craze at the moment for these little morsels.
Ordering is fun and done with a felt-​tip pen, which you use to mark the options to let the kitchen know if you want your meatballs served on their own or on mash, polenta, spaghetti, risotto — or maybe you’d like them in sliders, or as a sub, with sauces or without; with a salad or fries. But don’t go hungary because it was a long long wait to just place our order let alone get our food and one friend had to wait till we were nearly finished before he got his.
There are just five choices for the meatballs — chicken, beef, pork, vegetarian and a daily special — I got the special which was pork with scallops with a sauce. For sides I ordered the fries and Caesar salad which were just predictable and not any different to any other average diner.
My friend inquired on the vegeball which was a mix of chickpeas, lentils, cottage cheese and spices. It was soft and flavourful and teaming it up with a pesto. I thought hers looked dry and boring as a sub though.
Drinks seem to take a while from ordering to delivery at Bedford. We ordered the watermelon cocktail which was nice but they clearly made their money with the loads of ice filling the carafs. I loved the touch of the little glass tea cups you drank from.
Bedford Soda & Liquor is relaxed, approachable, and much less intimidating than you might think for a bar in Ponsonby. I think it might be a gimmick that doesn’t stick round long though. I could make the meatballs better myself. I definitely didn’t think with the really really slow service that it’s a place I will write home about.

I’ve loved every experience I’ve had here. The food is yummy, the drinks are out of this world, the atmosphere is so cosy and the staff are pretty great. This has become my favourite place to organise catch ups with friends because everyone always walks away full of delicious food and good feelings.

This place definitely has cool vibes, and a great atmosphere. The novelty of ordering with a whiteboard marker was pretty cool, but at the end of the day it was just a couple of over priced meatballs. Food was good, but not «wow.» The American diner themed restaurants are getting kind of old (I guess that comes from an American living in NZ astonished at the price people pay for crappy diner food, although it definitely is comfort food for me!)
Cocktails are nice, but pricey for what you get. I was pretty happy with my «bartender’s choice» gin based cocktail, but it seemed like there was no alcohol in it.
Would go back for drinks maybe, but not worth the food.
Also, the service was terrible! The last time I was there was the worst. It was a Wednesday evening, not busy, and we literally had to yell for the waitress to come over after 20 minutes of waiting. The look on her face was like she hated life, and hating serving us. At least act happy!

Simply great! This place is an all rounder. It’s tucked nicely into the heart of Ponsonby Central alongside some other great eats but has one of the largest spaces including outdoor tables which are great for bigger groups. The menu is simple and tasty with meatballs as it’s specialty. The chef also creates a special meatball on a 2 weekly basis which gives even frequent flyers a chance to try something new (Korean bbq meatball being one of my favorites). Even the menu is a winner. The playful whiteboard design gives this place a grounded feel and removes any doubt in your waiters competency/​memory skills as you tick the boxes yourself (there’s nothing more unnerving than a waiter who memorizes your order, too much at stake).
The staff are also on point. The bar manager happens to be NZs top cocktail maker who also came 4^th in the world, need I say more? The waiters are all fit young 6footers with beards and indie hair cuts so even if the view is grim outside there’s plenty… — I’ll just stop there.
Great good, great venue, great atmosphere

Great for lunch but I wouldn’t recommend coming for dinner in the weekend unless you’re with a group of people.
In the weekend in the evening they have a DJ — more for enjoying drinks and music not a recommendation for a 1^st date.
The food is great. It’s simple and uncomplicated — always make sure the waiter tells you the «chefs specials «as these are always quite a treat.
The menu is unique and so is the ordering system …
My favourite is the pasta with — meatballs, parmesan cheese sauce and good plain fashioned tomato sauce.
I also enjoyed the meatball sliders with a topping of your choice …
The only disappointing thing is that you are only allowed one topping per slider …
The drinks menu is great I always go for the Oreo/​vodka shake but make sure you don’t finish this before your food comes or else you won’t be eating much of your dinner …
The doctor pepper bourbon shake was good but make sure you give it a good stir with your straw or else it just doesn’t taste as good.
They also have a great tasting home brew beer.
Pricing is reasonable.

I have named Bedford Soda & Liquor a Quick Bite as it follows a similar idea as Burger Burger (Casual, quick eating). Also found in Ponsonby Central, its a place specialising in meatballs. Although this place seams original — which it is in Auckland, after some research, Bedford is a follow on from a place in America.
The idea is simple, each person is given a menu thats usable with whiteboard markers. Another place thats specialising in Organic, FR, and GF. I like how you are able to choose what meat, what sauce and what size. It opens up the options to a wider clientele and you don’t need to feel awkward about asking to change something on the menu.
I don’t think I can tell you what to or not to order when the choice is yours. It covers a range of sauces that appeal to most such as ‘pesto, tomato, gravy etc and each meat plus vege option. From what I have had, the first time I went I think the meat was slightly undercooked — but if you are having premium mince then you should be able to eat your meatballs slightly MR — not chicken obviously. Second time i went, it was much better. Everything should come out piping hot so thats something to be aware of. If your a soda fan, try the Mandarin sodas, as shown below — super tasty and prob one of the better ones i have tried from most places. The menu is nothing too amazing or special but its extensive and good for a cheapish quick bite. Go on — go try it!
Rating
Food: 6.5÷10
Service: ⁶⁄₁₀
Value for Money: Good
Shop 10, Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby Central
Opening Hours: Mon-​Sun 12pm-​Midnight

I was dying to try out this place and was gutted to find out that they were closed for maintenance on the day we went. The guy on site blamed me saying it is our fault for not checking it first. Thought that was a bit interesting. Anyway, after a week, we were finally there.
Bedford is located on the side of Ponsonby central and we were sitting outside to enjoy the sun and wind. Tick menu was given to us with marker pens — creative and fun! The menu was designed so that you can mix and match different meats and sauces.
It doesn’t say on the menu but Bedford Sub (8) has two meatballs in it, however I chose two sliders (5 each) instead so that I can try two different meat flavours and sauces. Sliders came with cute small sesame buns — but beware, they are really small. My Spicy beef, bacon and cheese (special of the day) was delicious. Gravy was little too sweet and watery however. Chicken with spicy tomato was interesting — I could taste chili in the sauce. Yum. We also ordered fries (6) to fill us up and they were thin and crispy. We regretted not getting a salad as it would’ve been nice to have some greens with the meatballs.

Ever since I went to The Meatball Shop in New York i’ve been wondering when i’d see one pop up here! They’ve taken the exact same aesthetic where you mark with a whiteboard marker on a laminated menu what type of meatball, sauce and sides you want. You can have meatballs and a carb side and sauce. Or a sub or slider.
The interior is cool and good music quite loud which I like for this type of establishment and the wait staff all really cool too except for one girl who was quite unaccommodating with us when we asked obvious questions like can you get more than one sauce.
I guess they’ve just opened so have some teething issues — the food took FOREVER — it was a mid week lunch time and considering all the meatballs and sauces are already prepared I don’t get why it should take so long.
Anyway when it came it was all pretty good. The corn was so delicious in its flavoured butter and the subs were wicked, perfect bernaise and tomato sauce and really herby meatballs encased in a really soft sesame seed bun. We also shared the meatballs paired with spagehetti and sauce but done this way its super expensive, 3 x meatballs for $ 12 then $ 3 for each sauce you want and $ 4 for a carb side (Spag, mash, polenta etc) so for a tiny tiny dish its minimum $ 19 — they really need to look at this. Also everyone loves sauce so extra sauces should be a $ 1 or something.

I have been admiring the steady stream of instas feat. Bedford’s house-​made sodas and pretty flowers garnishes for a couple of weeks now so was chuffed when the opportunity arose for me to try this new p. central addition for myself.
We popped in for a drink pre-​lunch and immediately appreciated the laid-​back vibe. The waitresses, who wear there own clothes were both donning cute floral shorts and t’s when we went and were friendly in a casual/​cool way.
When we arrived they told us to grab a table wherever and being another glorious day we headed straight outside to nab one of their high 6-​seater tables drenched in afternoon sun!
The drinks menu is extensive and divided into sections — punch pitchers, Bedford daisies (refreshing, lighter cocktails), Bedford ballers (stronger, more manly numbers) and liquor-​laden floats. There is also a wide range of teas and non-​alcoholic beverages.
After much deliberation, we went for a pitcher of Aperol Spritz ($ 35) — Prosecco, Aperol, fresh peach, citrus, grapefruit bitters, herbs. It arrived pretty as a picture, with flower/​herb garnishes in the glasses as well as the pitchers. We only ordered one serving but it came in two smaller pitchers and was easily enough to fill 5 glasses. I’ll admit, I found it a little lacking in the flavour dept but it was v. refreshing!
Yet to try the food (/​meatball) menu, but for those who have spent time in NYC it looks similar to the meatball shop incl. laminated menus and markers for you to tick you choice of meatball and sides.
Looking forward to heading back and trying more of their concoctions — I can see this is going to fast become a summer favourite.